Updated 10:00 pm, Friday, October 19, 2007

"Always I have people asking me questions about Manny, like I'm Manny Part 2," said Ortiz, half of Boston's dynamic slugging duo. "He wears me out because I know everything's going to end with, 'David, what do you think about what Manny's thinking?' "

Ortiz's answer Friday?

"I don't know," with an expletive added.

Ortiz has been Ramirez's teammate with the Red Sox for five years and they have neighboring lockers. So he figures he has a better insight into Ramirez's thoughts than reporters whom he said misinterpreted Ramirez's remarks on Wednesday about winning the AL Championship Series against Cleveland.

"It doesn't happen, so who cares?" Ramirez said then. "There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world."

That started fans and commentators buzzing about the slugger's desire to win.

"You guys need to be smart about it," Ortiz told reporters at Fenway Park. "I understand what he tried to say, but too bad that we have a lot of media people that they just like to flip things around.

"He said, from my understanding, was that (if) we lose, it's not going to be the end of the world. We've got another season coming in, but we're trying to win."

The Indians lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven ALCS and would advance to the World Series with a win in Game 6 on Saturday night when Boston right-hander Curt Schilling faces Fausto Carmona.

It's not shocking that Ramirez has been Boston's best hitter in the series with a .471 batting average, two homers and eight RBIs.

It was surprising when he abandoned his season-long practice of avoiding reporters and became media friendly, talking on Wednesday's off day and again after Boston's 7-1 win in Cleveland on Thursday.

"You guys should appreciate that the guy is talking, at least in the playoffs," Ortiz told reporters.

Ramirez wasn't in the clubhouse while it was open to the media Friday, when the Red Sox held an optional workout.

Fans might question Ramirez's intensity if they had seen him jog to first base on a single high off the center-field wall Thursday that he thought would be a two-run homer. Ortiz, no speedster, easily made it home from first to break a 1-1 tie.

"If you don't care if you win or lose, then you go about your business without intensity," Boston's third baseman said. "Look at his at-bats. He's the most feared guy in the whole world right now, the way he's swinging.

"If he was just swinging wildly and putting his helmet down and smiling after he struck out every time, then it would come across that way. But his performance doesn't suggest that."

Lowell, one of the most receptive and articulate interview subjects on the Red Sox, said Ramirez talks a lot with his teammates. They know him a lot better than outsiders.

So Lowell gave his interpretation of the comments.

"I think he wants to say that there's a lot of very serious things going on in the world that might have a place a little bit higher than a baseball game, and if things don't pan out our way, our families aren't going to be hurt," Lowell said.

"We're playing for our lives, in the sense of this season," he said, "but, come on, man. There's people that have kids in Iraq. You think they care whether the Red Sox or the Indians win? I think that's what he's trying to say."

Ramirez got a kick out of the controversy his comments created.

Ortiz said he was watching ESPN with Ramirez before Thursday's game and they laughed when they saw the reaction to what Ramirez had said.

"They had three football players that had no clue about baseball trying to say what Manny was saying," Ortiz said. "Then John Kruk, that played baseball his whole life, he understands what Manny said."